HINT: Saving Money May Not Be the Most Important One
Now, do me a favor: DON’T cheat and sneak a look at the bottom of the article. (Or at least if you do, come back up here and see what you missed.) You know I am a huge proponent of managed print services. Naturally, it’s one of the major things we offer. But I “push it” because I have seen so many cases where print supply chain management has made a huge positive difference in a company’s cost structure and workflow.
I’m an even bigger advocate thanks to some research I’ve been doing lately, because there’s another reason I don’t usually talk about. And I’ll get to that. (Forgive me for going a little “Ryan Seacrest” with that stalling tactic.) But first, let’s look at several reasons that make the decision to use managed print services a “no-brainer” in the business world.
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Consider the Economics
While some companies believe that “shopping” every print project from scratch squeezes out the lowest costs, that’s simply not true. A quality print supplier comes to know your business, anticipates your needs, and can streamline the process for both sides. That adds economy. And it more than outweighs the occasional “loss-leader” quote you might get from a printer desperate for work.
No offense, but there might be a good reason they are desperate. And you might find out. And that doesn’t even address the “hidden costs” that could be involved, like wasted staff time and bulky inventory storage. Keep reading…
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Managed Print Services Bring Faster Results
Once you have selected a competent partner and established a print management protocol, there’s no quicker way to get what you need. Zero time is spent (that means wasted) on researching different printers, checking credentials, getting quotes, having meetings, making decisions, and on and on. You contact that already-engaged partner and the wheels are already turning.
If your partner employs advanced e-procurement mechanisms (like our Corporate Kiosk™ technology) large parts of the process can even be automated. You set all the parameters once. The individuals you designate throughout your organization can order what they need from pre-approved choices through an online portal. Which means…
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You Become Ultra-efficient
Managed print services enable your entire operation, from one location too many, to work more smoothly. In addition to your people getting what they need, when they need it, they are in turn able to spend their time working on your core business. They can do the tasks you hired them for, instead of having to leave their comfort zone and try to become instant print experts.
(Hey, that right fielder who comes in to pitch late innings in a rout may be fun to watch, but the results usually are not. Don’t be that manager!) Another very positive by-product of having outside print expertise in your corner is consistent quality. Superior, for example, only chooses from dependable, high-quality vendors (almost 2,000 nationwide) who deliver on time and budget. So your company’s image doesn’t depend on how important any printer considers your project.
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Managed Print Services Are Extremely Versatile
Don’t think of print supply chain management as replacing one little printing project. It helps take the stress and risk out of all of them, including some you are probably not thinking about. On one end of the spectrum are the everyday business forms that keep business moving: statements, invoices, order tickets, receipts and a hundred others. That’s where Corporate Kiosk really shines, because it can automate that process. Forms arrive when you need them, where you need them.
But managed print services also provide critical value on the bigger litho, digital and specialty print projects that present your business to customers and key prospects. You don’t create marketing materials like collateral pieces, posters, postcards, direct mail packages, and promotional products every day. But we do. Our E(c3) centralized print management and e-procurement processes allow us to best match your needs to the right provider in terms of quality and cost efficiency. We have nearly 2,000 vendors we trust and can call upon as needed.
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Managed Print Services Add SECURITY
This is the one I was talking about up top. When you think about it, that broad term “printing” covers a lot of places in which your business is vulnerable. A print project places key information about your business into random, often unverified hands. Add to that the critical billing and financial interactions related to the project, and you’ll find you are more exposed than you’d like to be.
When you select one trusted partner for all your managed print services, that worry goes away. You know whom you are dealing with each time, at every point, working through an entity you can trust. That peace of mind is an excellent “extra” benefit on every print project.
The Reasons to Call Superior for Managed Print Services
While streamlining your print supply chain only makes sense, it’s even more beneficial with the right partner. I’d suggest Superior. After all, our ISO 9001:2015 certification makes the professionalism of our processes a given. And we’ve earned the Best of Print and Digital award for two consecutive years, thanks to customer reviews.
Contact Superior today for a free print supply chain audit. I’m confident you’ll learn enough about your own business that you’ll be glad you did.
